The aims of kendo training are:
To discipline the mind and body,
To develop a strong spirit,
Through correct and rigorous training:
Strive to perfect the art of Kendo,
Hold courtesy and honour in high regard,
Be sincere towards others,
And always strive for self-improvement.
This will enable everyone to:
To love one’s country and society,
To contribute to the development of culture
And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.
(The Concept of Kendo was formulated by the All Japan Kendo Federation in 1975.)
Kendo: budo or sport?
Kendo is still a relatively new concept in our country. People understand it in different ways. Some say it is a martial art, while others regard it as a sport. Many believe it is both.
Those who have studied kendo for many years say that kendo is budo.
Budo is translated as ‘martial arts’, but this translation does not fully convey its essence. This may be why many people ask how effective kendo is as a martial art in real-life fights. Some also see kendo as the kind of sword fighting depicted in films.
The second character in the word budo, ‘do’, means ‘the Way’. It is a pursuit that we follow throughout our lives.
As part of the learning process, we have contests—tournaments, championships and so on—but this is only one aspect of budo. Competition winners are genuinely skilled and deserve praise for their achievements. But victory is not everything in kendo. That is why even All Japan Kendo Federation champions may spend several years attempting to pass the examination for eighth dan.
Because kendo involves matches, it can be said to have a sporting aspect. However, kendo matches are not held simply to win, but to assess one's own development.
When we take part in a match, we must try to win. We should not think, “I do not care whether I win or lose.” We must do our utmost and face our opponent with all our strength, using everything at our disposal. In this way, we assess our level of kendo and how much we have improved recently (if we have faced the same opponent before).
We then see our opponent as a mirror: a mirror of our successes and mistakes, revealing our lightning-fast reactions or, conversely, the opportunities we have missed. We come to understand that every opponent, regardless of how many years they have trained, what Dan grade they hold or which competitions they have won, is neither stronger nor weaker than we are. They help us understand our strengths and weaknesses; they guide us along the Way.
Kendo includes many techniques that help us learn how to manage ourselves and our lives. The aims of every other budo—judo, karate, kyudo and so on—are the same. They are simply expressed in different forms.
KENDO Club EmblemWe choose kendo; others choose a different budo.
But everyone has the same goal — to become stronger today than they were yesterday.
That is something worth training for!
We invite you to join us in pursuing self-improvement through the way of the sword.
To begin with, all you need is the desire to train.
The club provides equipment during the first month of training.
Contact Information:
Training Schedule (Subject to Change)
Our seminars:
Seminar led by Alexey Magnushevsky (5th dan kendo), Head of the St Petersburg Branch of the Russian Kendo Federation, with the participation of Vladislav Tolkishevsky (4th dan kendo), President of the Russian Kendo Federation
Seminar Led by Giya Amkoladze, 5th Dan, 21 February 2023, 30 April 2023 and 1 May 2023
Seminar, 28 January 2023
Seminar with Yoshiyuko Haga, 7th Dan, 3 July 2022
Seminar, 25–27 July 2014 (It Was Very Hot)
.jpg/)
Russian 
English